You Did It to Me
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
Matthew 25:40
The name of George Mueller is well-known to people all over the place. He was not a great scholar, prominent businessman, or important politician; in fact, he was a thief, liar, and gambler. That is, he was a thief, liar, and gambler whom Jesus saved. George Mueller had wanted to be a missionary overseas. When he went to apply to the missionary board in London, he was told that there was not enough money to send him. However, there was work that needed to be done right where he was in England if he desired to stay. He decided that he would stay and work where God had put him. It was here that he met and married his wife. It also was here that he started his ministry to the poor. It was here that he began his orphanages.
Mueller saw the plight of the orphans whom ran about the street, and felt pity toward them. He heard first-hand about the horrors of the poorhouses. Moved with compassion, he asked the Lord if he should open an orphanage. George had learned early in his Christian walk to pray about everything. The Muellers were not a wealthy family: in fact, sometimes there was no food to serve their guests the next meal. George, however, believed in taking everything to the Lord. So he would always pray. He believed that if God wanted his work to go on (for it truly was God’s work), God would provide the money, food, and other essentials. George never asked for money or support. He always went to the One who provided all things for him to richly enjoy. God had always answered his prayers up until then and George had no reason to doubt Him now. One day as he stood at the orphanages he had just built, he was asked if he had a very good supporter. “Yes,” he replied, “the very best One.” He then was asked if all his savings were in a good and safe spot. “Oh yes,” he replied “the best one there is to be had.” When asked where this was he replied, “All my money is in Heaven where no rust can destroy and where thieves cannot break in and steal.” When asked who his supporter was, he answered, “Jesus Christ: He gives me all the things I need.”
George Muller labored in this work until the day he died. He never had a chance to get rich or to save up things for himself. He never got to go to the foreign mission field, or become a well-loved pastor. Yet he was richer than anyone could have ever guessed. He cared for as many children as he could. He always trusted in the lovingkindness of his Heavenly Father who loved these children much more than he did. George knew that to be rich in human souls was of much better value than to be rich in material gain.
Jesus has been showing me that He does not require us to go somewhere and become well known in order for us to be able to serve Him. He does not require us to become wealthy and prosperous in order to have a better platform to reach more people. All He requires is that we know, love, and value Him above all else and that we be willing for Him to work in and through us. We may never leave the place where we live. We may never go to a foreign land. But Jesus says “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me” Matthew 25:40. God is constantly reminding me of this fact. Right now, my place is in my home where He put me. If I don’t see the need here, how will I see the need anywhere else? If I am discontent now, how will I be content later? When we serve our mom or dad, siblings, or the little lady across the street, we need to remember: to the extent that we have done it to one of these we have done it to Jesus! “I hope you will be a missionary wherever your lot is cast . . . for it makes but little difference after all where we spend these few fleeting years, if they are only spent for the glory of God. Be assured there is nothing else worth living for!” (Elizabeth Freeman)
~Emma ©2008 RBF Mag
A 180 Degree Revolution...
The Power of a Changed Life!
Dawson Earle Trotman was born March 25, 1906. He was very small and had a heart defect that would affect him his entire life. Surviving proved a struggle for this 2½ pound little guy. His dad confessed, “We thought we’d never raise him.”
Daws was a “people-person&rdqu o; from an early age, earning popularity in school. He also was known for his kind acts toward younger children. By the time he was a senior in high school, Daws was president of “Christian Endeavor,” had a high grade average, was captain of the basketball team, student body president, chairman of student council, editor of the school annual, and had a pretty, blond Christian girlfriend. He had anything anyone could ask for. Yet, his flawless Christian reputation hid what continually plagued his conscience. He could not shake an awful stronghold: lying. He did everything in his power to quit—even resorting to scraping all the skin off his knuckles so the pain would remind him not to lie. Daws also was a thief.
Upon graduating from high school, Daws began the next chapter of his life by going out with his buddies and getting thoroughly drunk. Daws sunk deeper and deeper in an attempt to “quit trying to live a double life.” Often sending up prayer-flares when drunk and in a fix, Daws soon forgot his vows to God. One night the police stopped Daws when he was very drunk. Somehow his mother found out, and heartbroken, she called her Christian neighbor. This lady prayed for Daws all night. Two days later, Daws sneaked back to the Presbyterian Church where he had attended in his youth. He found some old buddies from high school there. Back in Christian Endeavor, Daws joined in the contest for Scripture memory. He quickly completed the first ten verses and the leaders—who had been praying for him for years—chose more verses, all on salvation. He memorized them all. When Daws went back to the pool hall the next day, he continued his old habits, but the Holy Spirit’s work was beginning to surface. His memorized verses came to mind often. One day the Holy Spirit impressed on him the meaning of, first, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life,” and next, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Daws’ profoundly simple, yet powerful answer was, “O, God, whatever it means to receive Jesus, I want to do it right now.” “Whether the earlier or later time was his real conversion, the prevenient grace of God had brought him to the point of commitment this June day in 1926 when he yielded his autonomy to the lordship of Jesus Christ. He would be God’s son and servant from that day forward.”[1] He was twenty years old.
He was ready to tell anyone and everyone though it was a challenge at his job. Daws, the former “tough guy,” was embarrassed to identify with the “gospel preacher,” who came every week to his job site. God gave Daws grace, however, and he shared his personal testimony with everyone at work.
Dawson had a passion for lost souls and wanted his life work to be centered on discipleship. He prayed, “God, give us a burden for lost souls, one that will last until we die!” Unsurprisingly, Daws spent the last thirty years of his life in this work. He died while saving the life of another—rather a fitting way to be called home and ushered into the presence of his Lord and Savior.
His life was fruitful because he was willing to do all it took to lead people to the Savior Who had changed his own life forever. Lorne Sanny, a man whose life was changed due to the efforts of Daws said, “I had been a Christian for about a year when Daws adopted me as his son in the faith—a relationship that continued until his death fifteen years later. This association included living in his home and spending hundreds of hours just listening and watching his life. It also included what seemed to me severe exhortation, yet I was always conscious of his love for me and his desire to help me reach my fullest potential.” Dawson truly was a man of God and his ambition to be a man wholly devoted to God and to encourage others to do the same has impacted thousands of lives.
~Elizabeth ©2008, RBF Mag.
Wonderful, Merciful Savior
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
2nd Corinthians 2:14
Several events occurred that proved this verse to me. These events produced various emotions, and none of them had anything to do with me. Yet the triumph in Christ is apparent in each one.
One night a friend told me a scary story about his brother almost drowning in a river. As he recounted the horrible moments, he remembered he was totally unable to do anything apart from crying out to God: “God have mercy!” Finally, just before it might have been too late, God used him in a humanly impossible situation to break through the barriers and get his brother out. Listening to this story, I felt in awe because I realized that God is a “Wonderful, merciful Savior. Precious Redeemer and Friend. Who would have thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men?… Almighty, infinite Father, faithfully loving Your own, here in our weakness you find us, falling before Your throne” (Dawn Rodgers, Eric Wyse: “Wonderful Merciful Savior”). This story was awesome to me as I saw the path to triumph in Christ, from Cody crying out to God to the miraculous way He saved Kyle.
Another account bearing witness to triumph in Christ took place over a period of many years. Some dear friends had been praying for children of their own ever since I could remember. They had been pursuing a China adoption for at least two years. Suddenly, God gave them precious, twin, American daughters and continued to provide miracles all along the adoption process. Isabella Hope and Elisabeth Grace have stolen the hearts of my family, and we rejoice with Oliver and Kimberly as they revel in the triumph of God. The story of these two little girls reminds me that miracles still are happening even 3,498 years after the parting of the Red Sea.
The third story magnifying triumph is one that took place thousands of years ago in a land called Uz. There was a very rich man with over 11,500 animals, and many, many servants. In fact, his biographer calls him “the greatest of all the men of the east.” God described this rich man as, “Blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Satan believed that this man was so blameless because he possessed many riches and children and good health. Without that, Satan asserted, “He will curse You [God] to Your face.” Satan took away everything and left Job alone with three unsympathetic “friends” and an unsympathetic wife. The first (shocking) words Job says were, “The Lord gives and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Later in his testimony he says, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God…” Job stands this trying and comes forth as gold. God blessed him again with even more riches and ten more children. He lived to a very old age. His testimony has gone forth over the entire world as the man who would not curse God. This amazing testimony shows the triumph of God in a very clear picture. He led Job in triumph and manifested through him the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. Thanks be to God!
~Elizabeth ©2008 RBF Mag.
A Stinky Old Puddle?
I walked to the back of our property; I was on a mission. I was to collect microscopic organisms from the bottom of the pond for a science experiment. As I walked down the path, I began to experience a most peculiar smell; I wondered what it was. I knew that it couldn’t be the goat barn or the chicken coop because I was too far away from those two places. It couldn’t be compost and although it sure smelled bad, I was positive it wasn’t the dead deer that lay at the edge of the pond. As I carefully moved closer, I wrinkled my nose. The smell grew increasingly stronger. It was… I was on the verge of the answer… It was… it was the pond! As I crested the hill and gazed down at what was supposed to be a shimmering, smooth pond, all I saw was a hole in the ground in which sat a small puddle of water that had a peculiar odor and was covered with strange, greenish stuff surrounded by white, dead stuff. This was surprising because the last time I had been down there the pond had been full and had, in fact, been overflowing. Of course, we hadn’t had any rain in a while, so that, I suppose, was the reason for the lack of liquid in the hole. I gathered my information and hurried away trying not to breathe.
Later as we cleaned up the dinner dishes, my sister asked me how the pond was. I replied, “It had a headache owing to the glare and it seemed to have a cold, but other than that it was great.” Just kidding, I didn’t say any of that. I said “What pond? All I saw was a stinky old puddle.” Being the literary genius that she is, she responded, “That would make a great title for an article!... You can write it!” Thanks sis, I am so grateful. ;-) But, as I was thinking about it later I realized she was right.
Our lives can either be an abundant pool of water that overflows into the life of others, filled with life and pleasing aromas, or they can be dead, stagnant, and stinky. This experience did cause me to look at my life and ask: am I a pleasant pool or a stinky old puddle? Do I merely do things for my own pleasure and comfort or am I willing to pour my life out for others, even if it means a little pain or discomfort along the way?
I never cease to marvel at the little lessons God brings into my life to teach me something. It is amazing how He can use the simplest things like a stinky, yucky, ugly wanna-be pond a. k.a. Puddle, to teach it. Who would have thought that a seemingly small trip to the pond for a science experiment would result in such a lesson? I never did the science experiment due to the lack of a microscope, but I did reap a lesson and am asking the Lord to make me a living pool of water. I pray the same for you, that the Lord will transform you from a stinky old puddle into an abundant pool full of life.
~Emma ©2008 RBF Mag
What is that to you?
“So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, ‘Lord, and what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!’” John 21:21-22
After being rebuked, we often reply with, “But Lord, what about him or her?” Jesus quietly turns our eyes back to Him and says, “What is that to you? Forget about that person and what I have for them; just do what I have told you.”
Too often I find myself looking to others for either approval or disapproval of my actions. I live my life according to their standards. I don’t do things because I’m afraid of what they will think of me, but even more frequently, I do things hoping that they’ll think well of me. Life ought not to be lived out in this fashion. When we get to the judgement seat, are we going to say, “Oh, God, the reason why I did such-and-such was because I saw my friend Jack doing it and I wanted him to approve of me, so that’s why…” God’s not going to be impressed. But you say, “But, hey, Jack is an awesome Christian! He’s such an example to me. Plus, everyone&rsquo ;s doing what he’s doing.” What is that to you? God has him doing exactly what He wants him doing. But He also has a plan for you. When Paul describes the spiritual gifts, he says that we are all members of one body and without all the different members, the body cannot function. One of Dawson Trotman’s mottoes was: “Never do anything that someone else can or will do when there is so much to be done that others cannot or will not do.” Never!
A friend and I were talking one Sunday about wanting to be one of the first to do something because we didn’t want to feel cramped into doing it “just like everyone else.” Despite our cries about wanting to be different, or wearing shirts saying, “Be Yourself!” Americans have all come out of the mold exactly like everyone else. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed, by the renewing of your mind.”
Don’t try to live your life to be pleasing to others. It’s too hard. Remember the man and boy taking their donkey to market. First the father rode and people told him he was cruel not to let his son ride. So the boy got up and people said he was lazy. His father climbed up behind him only to have people say they were cruel to their animals. Finally, the poor man and boy carried their donkey on a pole. The people laughed at them. C.T. Studd said, “So let’s go ahead with our work for God and not care what folks say.”
~Elizabeth ©2008 RBF Mag
refined
In the hymn How Firm a Foundation, the unknown author says, "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee, it’s only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine." We are to be as that gold whose dross is being consumed. Refined like gold is our prayer.
This is the idea behind our name. Our goal is to have a place for articles that are godly, Christ-centered, and encouraging to believers.
Through the future posts of this blog we hope you will be encouraged, inspired, and stimulated to knowing CHRIST as Who He is and in light of that, who we are to be.
~rbf